I used 5 tblspns Morton kosher vs. Diamond Crystal kosher for my 18# turkey dry brine. It's been brining for 24 hours, what to do?

turkey

Clint Justice
  • 3913 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

Kenzi W. November 23, 2016
You're right that Morton's is more salt—for future, here's a rule of thumb on the two: 1 1/4 : 1 3/4, Morton's : D.C. (and an article explaining the difference in more detail: https://food52.com/blog/16824-you-re-not-crazy-there-is-a-difference-between-morton-s-and-diamond-crystal). For a bird this large, you should still be okay—if you're worried, you can wipe the brine off and let your bird air-dry for the rest of the time until you cook. Just be careful of tasting the drippings before you add to anything else; they may be a little salty.
 
Clint J. November 23, 2016
Since it's had a 24 hour brine, I'll rinse it off, pat it dry, and it will have until tomorrow morning to dry out. Sounds good?
 
Jeremy B. November 23, 2016
Everything will be fine! Enjoy your turkey.
 
Clint J. November 23, 2016
Thanks I guess, no need to buy a new one and start over? Essentially I used 25% more salt than the recipe called for lol
 
Clint J. November 23, 2016
Mr. Jeremy, are you sure? On this site, Russ Parsons' Dry Brined Turkey recipe uses 3 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal for 16# bird. I used 5 tablespoons of Morton's for an 18# bird (plus 5 teaspoons sugar)! I
 
Jeremy B. November 23, 2016
Clint, as Kenzi more eloquently put below, there are two questions here. Did you use more salt and will it make a huge difference in the final product? You obviously did use more salt (and there is a difference between the brands, see here: https://food52.com/blog/16824-you-re-not-crazy-there-is-a-difference-between-morton-s-and-diamond-crystal). As to the more important question, I don't think it will make a huge difference in the taste of the turkey itself. Kenzi's point about using the drippings is probably more likely to be different.
 
Recommended by Food52